Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-10-28

the Federal GOyernment ever en'oNhV'lDN
and 20 make known 20 all men our yeneratlon
for HE exalted character, our admiration Tor
his great deeds, and our gratitude Tor MS grso'
services and sacrifices In the cause OF the
southern people.
My chief object today shall be 20 explain
this ceming inconsistency and make clear the
significance OF the work we have In hand, that
we may be able to answer our children When
they shall ask US. "What mean ye by thls
monument 20 an enemy Of the Union Which
you teach US 70 cherish AMI defendf'
have selected this subject a. most appro'
PIRATE to the OCCASION. because It seems TO me
that, however great the virtues and however
exalted the character OF lin whose statue we
propose 10 rear on this spot, aud however great
he deeds in war. his right 20 such memorial
will be tested also by the merits Of the cause IN
which he was engaged.
II needs no eulOgy 90 estabish MS tltle 10 ths
noble~t monument that can be reared 10 great
attributes Of mind and SOUL and 10 illustrious
deeds In war.
But history tears down statues and monu-
mcnts 10 great attributes and illustrious deeds,
unless those attributes be devoted 10 some
noble end and inustriOus deeds be done In
righteous cause.
THE MERITS OF THE CAUSE.
It seems to me- therefore. becoming TO tho
occasion 10 set before you, "a plainly as can,
the merits Of the cause i'm which General Lee
rendered his great services, 10 correct the errors
aud Misrepresentation which have now
obtained for so many years with reference u
it. ID some quarters. and 10 claim Tor u recoy-
milton as the cause Of constitutional liberty, ~
understood aud applied by our fathers IN the
Constitution framed by them.
Nhenthe facts come 10 be fairly stated ana
rightly understood 70 will be seen that tbs
statue viii perpetuate no memory OF lnldelily
10 the Union a. ~ was, aud will teach no lesson
iucon-i-tent with a loyal and cheerful Obe-
dicnce 10 the authority Of the UuiOn as it Is.
No one accepted the results OF the war more
frankly End unrcSevedly than the luustrlols
man 20 whom we are now Offering the tribute
Of our gratitude and love, and IL would be- inn
possible more grieyously 70 mistake the teach
ing Of his life and example than q draw from
n EN- announcement TO n renewal OF sectional
strife or q Withholding Of genuine fealty to the
Federal Union "a IL Is now established.
Tho exciting events Of the great contest IN
which peaceful people became suddenly in
yolycd succeeded each other 20 rapidly aud
were 80 absorbing tlat IL was dinlcult even Tor
~ actors In them 10 avoid conloundlng the
causes Of the war with some Of its incidental
onsequcnccs-consequcn that hal their
origin In the exigencles OF the struggle itselt,
one of which WAS so momentOus that IL has
come 20 Dee regarded ~ the actual cause of the
war and tie object Tor which it was waged.
African SLAVERY.
For example. IL Is almost universally a.
suUed az q fact that the war Was waged by the
Federal Government for the overthrow Of Afri-
y
nance II that institution.
But iucalculable As r. the benefit of that con-
sequence of the war. n we may put falth In tne
solemn acts and declarations of The Federal
Government. 10 is easy 10 show that II did not
mike war go cmauCipatc the slaves, but that II
liberated the slaves 10 help il TO make war.
President Lincolns proclamation oi Septem-
her -, 1SC2, declares
That on the first day of January, In the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
NHaaNfN aNH
any State, or designated part Of state, ne
Jeoplc ichereof shdN then be- ~ rebellion against
The United states, shall be then, thenceforwarl,
and forever free : and the Executive Govern
ment ot the United states, Including the mill
tary and naval authority thereof, willlrccOgniZ'
and maintain the freedom ~ such persons
and will DO no act or acts 10 rcpress such per
SONS. or any Of them. In any efforts they may
make for their actual freedom"
This proclamation was the forerunner Of On
famous emancipation proclamation Of January
l. 1868, AMI IL needs no commentary 90 snow
that 30 was not inspired solely by the desire C.
set The negroes free.
For the proclamation came ~ time wh'r
TIE Federal army that had Oesieged Richmond
i'm the beginning Of ls02 had barely save,
Washington from the grasp OF the hali-staryci
half-naked soldiers of the COnfeieracy. 10 wa
| issued when those soldiers stood ON the iron
tier of Virginia, challenging their adyersarle
| 10 try again the issue left undetermined on th
bloody field Of Sharpsburg. lt came az TIM
! whom the Federal plan OF campaign In Virginia
for 1852 had failed, shattered at Manassas, shat
| tered AZ Sharpsbure and IA there be not abou
! 10 q painful suggestion oi scrFlle war as pos
sible aid 20 the restoration Of Federal authOrit
/ over the south, 20 H. clear in the announcement
! that the South could escape the threafeue'
emancipation ot The slaves. and al the c0nso
ducncts Of that measure, by returning to IN
| Federal Union.
uow EMANCIPATION CAME ABOUT.
! Fwaucipoton. therefore, was used a.
| threat to the states mat should continue 10 re
/ si,t the Federal arms aiucr the lst day OF Janu
! airy, lG}. ard protection % slavery 10y the fci6
| raj Government was the reward promised {
| such states as should cease 10 resist.
| But Mr Lincoln has left no room for doubt a
! 10 his views on this subject. One month befor
| the warning proclamation Of September ..
! hc wrote 70 Mr. Greeley as follows;
! My paramount object is 10 save tho Unio
| m not either 90 save or destroy slavery. II
| could save the Union without freeing any slav
| would 90 10: anIl could save 10 by freeinl
| All me slaves would DO IL. and If could say
| 10 hy freeing some and leaving others alone
| would do that also. What / do about SLAYER
! md the c0lorcd race ] DO because believe I
I helps 10 save the Union. and what | torbear
| fCrtcar because DO not believe 10 would hel
| % save Tie Union
II ia apparent that Mr Lincoln regarded ~
! paiutcuan,c OF the territorial integrity Of IN
! Union as TIE object of The war, regardless ~
| an consideration, affecting slavery or the 90
| lorcd race.
NV subject, however, relates more nearly Q
I the ection az he people of the South with H.
! ference 90 secession and the war. ami b. f. con
| c-ruiug This pact u the history Of the time TIA
| thc greatest amount ~ ignorance and misre
| presentation exists. They are all cOmmonl
designated as seoossioai-ts. their cause as th
| cnt-, of secession. their Oricrt the iisrupup
| ~ tne Federal Union. ahd the establishment
| OF q southern COniclcracy rs something IN II
self 20 be- preferred 20 ihe Federal Union
! And they are commonly repre>entei ~ haFiu
adopted that cause and sought thnt object as
| means of porpetuating African slavery.
LINCOLN MADE THE coSFEDERACY.
II shall De my aim 70 show you how eniireI
untrue 20 history this view Of the cOnduc; an
action of the southern people Is, and for thi
| purpose propose 10 trace the events that le
! 10 the withdrawal of Virginia from the Union
| az the action Of Virginia determined that O
| General Lee.
! Pcfore entering upon the narrative Of thos
events must remind you that The social, poll
| tical, and constitutional changes brought aoOu
| by thc war are so vast, md have been euecte'
| 4O suddenly and completely, that II i5 no
! easy tYCm for uS who lived under the OF
| order of things 20 Judge the actions oi In
diFiduals and communities I'm the hghL q
| opinions and institutions then almost uni
( ycrsally received and respected, Unlnhu
| enced by the very different opinion
and Institutions Of to-day The task viii
| come more difficult when the population q
this country shall come to consist, a. it will In
| very few ycnr=. Of people who never knew an
| Constitution but the present Constitution. o
| any ni0n but the present Union, and who wi
! have no personal knowledge of the Vows an
! opinions that guided the conduct OF men b'
| fore toe iron Ot war had entered the soul OF on
Institutions. I can. perhaps, better draw you
| attention 20 the conclusions which are wal
| ranted 10y the facts about 90 be presented {
| you by the rather startling proposition that IN
| actual Southern Confcderacy, the Coniederac
| which for four years made head against IN
power Of the Federal Government, reinforce
| al last by The slaves, was called into exlstenc
| ty Mr. Lincoln himself.
To explain what 1 mean 10 Is necessary
| mark the difference between the state Of anair
before and after the proclamation Of Mr.. Liz
| coin, OF April IS, ls6l-a difference 80 tmpoi
tant and so generally disregarded in what
| said and written on the subject 0t the war tha
| shall have 10 ask your indulgence II preser
| Il s,meWha, In detail.
Although nearly the whole people OF N
| southern States became 90 all intenis unite
| after the proclamation Of April 18th, it IA gene
| rally forgotten that before that event ID
views Of duty and Of policy entertained IN N
sotton and in the border States were widely q
vergent 1 shall try 10 show what that dihei
ence was.
Soon after u Aecame known that Mr.. Lincol
had been elected the cotton States, consi5tin
Of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama
Mississippi, louisiana. and Texas, took me-,
| sures 10 secode from the Union, treating hl
| election as a sufficient cause for their action.
south Carolina led the way on the l1th OF ID
| cember 1eCO, and was followed by the others
| Texas having been the last 20 secede. lie
| REPRESENTATIVES subscribed the proTsiOni
| Confederate Constitution at Montgomery o
the I'd OF March, 1861. On the llth OF th,
| month these states, through their represents
tiyes, adopted the permanent Confederate Coz
stitutiOn.
10 understand tho fun effect Of this impo
tapt ster. ard how Il was regarded by the gre;